WhoLetsPlay - 2014 plans
Hey everybody!
So, now that it's officially 2014, I thought I'd lay out some plans for how to get this little movement off the ground before all of our momentum peters out.
So, here's today's agenda
1. Communication structure
2. Removing me as a bottleneck
3. Legal stuff
4. Web stuff
5. Raising a small amount of money
Communication structure
Right now, I'm the one doing all the talking, and I want to fix that. For now I'm setting up a google group that we can use, you can find it here:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/wholetsplay
If you have anything to say, post it!
Removing me as the bottleneck
If this movement's going to survive long-term, it can't depend on me for everything. For instance, because of the wikia page's lackluster settings, people are emailing and tweeting me directly asking me to update the list, which is getting unmanageable.
Right now the wikia page only has two security settings -- too strict for new users, and too open to prevent spam/vandalism. Hopefully we can get a better system set up on www.wholetsplay.com to replace that, with settings that are "just right."
And as glad as I am to have gotten this thing started, I have a full time job and a new baby, so my time is limited. If you'd like to help carry the WhoLetsPlay banner, or even offer to become the new leader of the movement, I'd love to hear from you.
Legal Stuff
One of the things I'd like to do with WhoLetsPlay is to consult with some legal experts in the field of games, new media, and intellectual property to see what can be done in terms of straightening out the thorny situation with streaming rights, music licensing in particular. I'm in touch with several lawyers, and so far I think our best prospect is Mona Ibrahim , who has a lot of expertise in those specific fields, which is pretty rare. I've also worked with her in the past with Level Up Labs over the years and can vouch for her personally. I'm also reaching out to anyone else who will talk to us, such as the Creative Commons .
Web Stuff
The current http://www.wholetsplay.com site is, in a word, butt-ugly. I'm looking for a good web developer to fix it up, and also get some advice about what the best wiki to install should be. My preference is for something simple, easy to maintain, easy to edit as a user, and easy to moderate/secure. I'm in touch with a few people, but haven't made any final decisions just yet.
Raising a small amount of money
I'm more than happy to accept people's volunteer efforts, but judging from past experience, we're going to need a little working capital to get some good results. I just put a simple PayPal donation button up on the http://www.wholetsplay.com site for now, and my goal is to raise about $500 USD to get started. I'm planning on spending this on legal and web stuff. I haven't set up an IndieGoGo campaign or a Kickstarter or anything because those can be all-consuming affairs, and frankly, I just don't have the time. I also don't have an official non-profit company or anything set up for WhoLetsPlay, and currently don't have any plans to do so (at least not by myself).
But if YOU would like to put the time and effort into setting up any of those things, please do get in touch and let's coordinate :)
So -- action items for those of you who want to help.
1. Sign up for the google group and start talking!
2. Donate at the web site
3. Spread the word! Tell your friends!
4. Contact major Youtubers and game developers and ask them to get involved!
Thanks everybody! With your help, we can make 2014 the year made video game streaming/youtube'ing awesome again.
Lars Doucet
Level Up Labs